Raising people from the deadÂ
I sit up and listen when someone is able to raise people from the dead. Jesus is that someone. Not only is He able to raise people from the dead but Jesus foretold his own crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. In my books that makes Jesus, together with His Father, the authority on living forever.
Then when Jesus brought his friend Lazarus back to life, he told Lazarus’ sister Mary the following:
Never die
I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live:
 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?
I find this easy to believe because when death came knocking on my door, I called upon my Creator and His Son and they heard me. And they answered me. So, yes I am a believer.
 ABC Scripture Cards
Last week we finished the free ABC  Scripture Card series and you can find all the posts on Free Scripture Cards here and now we’re back looking at the occasions where ‘Living forever’ is mentioned in the Bible.
Living Forever
To find all the posts which have been written on living forever on this blog you can click here. So far I’ve noted all the occasions where the words ‘live forever’ have been mentioned. But that’s not all there is to it, obviously.
Nowadays we tend to think that ‘dead’ is well, yes ‘dead,’ gone, never to come back.  There are some occasions mentioned in the news every now and then where people have been declared dead or buried prematurely but apart from that, in today’s news,  we don’t really hear stories about people being brought back to life.
People  brought back to life
The Jewish Bible mentions how prophet Elijah resurrected the son of of the widow in Zarephath. The Bible also mentions how prophet Elisha resurrected  the son of the great Shunammite woman  and how a dead man came back to life when he touched Elisha’s bones,
In the Gospels we’re told how Jesus resurrected the widow’s son at Nain,  He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead  and also raised his friend Lazarus from the dead after he’d been already buried for four days.
Finally we read in the Gospels how Jesus rose from the dead.
Immediately after Jesus’ crucifixion we hear that
This had been foretold by the prophet Daniel and later also by jesus:
They shall come forth
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth; they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil,
unto the resurrection of damnation
Everlasting life
Jesus, like the prophets Elijah and Elisha, raised people from the dead. Jesus spoke about everlasting life. He made at least a dozen references to everlasting life and we’re going to go through them one by one.
I am not the only person who thinks that Jesus and the Father are the authority on everlasting life. Scripture agrees.
Next week we’ll have a look at what Jesus had to say about everlasting life.
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ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.
ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.
ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here. To download a free copy of my Story of Survival click here.
Do Jewish People believe in life after death?
Rabbi Evan Moffic
According to Rabbi Evan Moffic: yes, there is life after death. He states that
1. There is an afterlife which according to rabbinic tradition is known by various names.
2. Heaven has an open door for the righteous of any people and any faith.
3. The afterlife can take many forms, for instance as diverse as, living on in grandchildren.
4. Afterlife is here on earth … for more visit Rabbi Moffic’s website.
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman from Chabad.org argues that there isn’t anything after life, because life never ends. He explains why, at the final resolution, all souls will return to physical bodies in this world.
Jewish Author Tracey Rich
Jewish author Tracey Rich from Judaism 101 mentions the afterlife as Olam Haba and states that traditional Judaism firmly believes that death is not the end of human existence. However, because Judaism is primarily focused on life here and now rather than on the afterlife, Judaism does not have much dogma about the afterlife, and leaves a great deal of room for personal opinion.
Jewish Scholar Nehemia Gordon
After listening to one of the podcasts from Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson I learned that apparently according to rabbinic tradition any one of around 70 different interpretations of religious text is acceptable as long as this interpretation is by a qualified Rabbi. This is explained in more depth by Allen S Maller courtesy of Jewish Bible.org in ‘A Torah with 70 different faces.
Seventy possible interpretations for each Bible verse.
How does that sit with you? Seventy possible interpretations for each Bible verse? The argument is that multiple interpretations of each verse of Scripture can be correct, even if they contradict one another.
I’ve often argued that there are as many religions as there are people and I still believe this. We all interpret according to our understanding and believe according to our heart. Therefore I think it is futile to ever have any kind of argument about religion as far as it concerns people’s ‘beliefs.’
Bible is a how-to manual
The Bible is however,  as well as the history book of our earth and the Jewish  people, also an instruction manual. The Bible teaches us about morals and principles and righteous living and love and how to live forever. None of the how-to manuals that I ever have come across allowed seventy different interpretations for every line in the book. Let’s face it, if any of them did, all the instructions would fall in a heap. I have a feeling that it is the same with the Bible and the instructions in the Bible should not be interpreted in many different ways. It’s fine if this works for other people but for me personally, no.
I believe that essentially Scripture is a message of love and that we’re not just told, but we’re commanded to love one and other. It is the message of love that I am keen to get across and the connection of this message with the promise of everlasting life. That’s why I will continue to post all that God’s Holy Word has to say about love and about living forever as mentioned in Scripture, so that everyone can come to their own conclusion about the truth of it all according to God’s Word.
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ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.
ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.
ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and you you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here.
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Live forever according to scripture
On this blog ‘live forever how to’ we’re going through the bible to see where the words, ‘live forever’ have been mentioned. I am no expert on this and that is precisely why I am going through GOD’s Word to see what the Expert on the subject has to say about eternal life.
I’ve so far recapped the posts on this subject twice. One on the twelfth of September and the other time on June twenty-fifth of this year. This is the third post where I am recapping all the posts on this subject. If you want to see all the posts that I’ve written so far this year on the words ‘Live forever’ you can also click on the categories list which can be found on the right hand side of the screen in the sidebar. This is where all the posts on living forever are bundled together in one long readout.
 Recapping where in the bible the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned.
This is where you can find all the ‘recapped posts’ Â bundled together.
And here is collection one and two and this is three.
The Lord is my shepherd
In Psalm 23 we’re told that the LORD is our shepherd and this is another occasion in the bible where we are assured that we can live for ever.
Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement
We learn that Yom Kippur is a Feast of The LORD and is to be celebrated forever throughout all generations in all our dwellings.
Some to everlasting life
The thirteenth time the words ‘live(th) for ever’ are used in the bible we read that about many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life. We also read about Him that lives forever. The book of life is mentioned and some that shall shine as stars for ever and ever.
Curious about seoÂ
In the seo optimised article we read that Christians believe that everlasting life is promised to them who will accept Jesus as their saviour and to have everlasting life you must be born again. And we’re assured that everyone shall be rewarded according to their work.
What is GOD’s name?
There are many differing opinions on the subject of God’s name but it is my understanding that the meaning of the name Yehovah is, ‘He who was,’ ‘now is’ and ‘is to come.’ Sounds like forever to me.
The prophets, do they live forever?
The fourteenth time the word’s ‘live forever’ are mentioned in the bible is in the book of the prophet Zechariah where he writes, ‘Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever?’ And we realise that it is GOD’s words that truly live forever.
He that eateth of this bread shall live forever.
The fifteenth and sixteenth time that the words ‘live forever’ are mentioned is when Jesus promises his followers that he’ll raise them up at the last day.
 Do you believe that you’ll live forever?
Many, if not most people believe that they’ll live forever, as is evident from the responses and tributes of the team mates of late batsman Phillip Hughes.
With GOD all things are possible … true story.
Someone asks Jesus how to obtain eternal life and He responds by saying, ‘If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ When prompted Jesus adds to this advice by saying, ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ For various reasons I left everything I had behind and when in need received a big fat check in the mail … with GOD all things are possible.
The Word of GOD lives forever.
The seventeenth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in GOD’s Word, it is pointed out to us that GOD’s Word lives forever.
.
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ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.
ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.
ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and  you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here. To download a free copy of my Story of Survival click here.
The fifteenth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned.
The sixteenth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned.
In context the text reads
Then Jesus said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink his blood,
ye have no.
life in you.Whoso eateth my flesh,
and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life;
and I will raise him up
at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed,
and my blood is drink indeed.ÂHe that eateth my flesh,
and drinketh my blood,
dwelleth in me,
and I in him.As the living Father hath sent me,
and I live by the Father:
so he that eateth me,
even he shall live by me.This is that bread which came down from heaven:
not as your fathers did eat manna,
and are dead:
he that eateth this bread
shall live for ever... Doth this offend you?
It is the spirit that quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit,
and they are life.But there are some of you that believe not.
   Therefore said I unto you,
that no man can come unto me,
except it were given unto him
of my Father.Jesus, thou hast the words
of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure
that thou art that Christ,
the Son of the living God.
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ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.
ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.
ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and if you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here. To download a free copy of my Story of Survival click here.
Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
The sixth time that the phrase ‘live for ever’ is mentioned.
The sixth time that the phrase ‘live for ever’ is mentioned in the bible is in Psalm 49 verse 9.
So that he might continue to live for ever and not experience death.
There are bible commentators who credit King David with this Psalm whilst some say it is was written by the sons of Korah who were masters of the choir. Others say that the author is unknown.
All inhabitants of the world are addressed.
The author of Psalm 49 addresses all inhabitants of the world. The Psalmist addresses believers and unbelievers alike. The Psalmist says that he or she has profound wisdom to share which goes like this: without GOD we are as beast that perish and no amount of wealth will save any of us.
The author thinks that this information is so important that all people, all inhabitants of the world should hear about it.
Listen to this, all you nations! Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world!
Why should I be afraid in times of trouble
when I feel overwhelmed by the bad treatment I receive from the wealthy?
Wise people die as do the foolish and unbelievers and all leave their wealth behind.
They are like animals that perish.
They will travel to their graves like sheep with death as their shepherd.
God is my shepherd, he will save me from death.
So that I may live for ever …
Eternal life is not for sale.
The message of Psalm 49.
In Psalm 49 the poor are comforted and told not to worry when the rich take advantage of them. The Psalmist tells the poor and disadvantaged that the rich already have their reward. And none will be able to take any of their riches with them to their graves. The graves of the rich, the foolish and spiritually insensitive will be their permanent dwelling place and they will never see the light again. Wealthy as they may be today, in the end they will die like animals. But there is hope for us who wait for Him and trust in The LORD for our salvation, He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.
He that is our God is the God of salvation;
and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.
Jesus reiterates the message of Psalm 49
Jesus  reiterates the message of Psalm 49 when he says,
Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh …
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
My family has always been relatively well off and I never quite understood the, ‘Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.’ What is wrong with being rich?
Well for starters, if you have more than the people around you, that means that you’re not sharing. Jesus told a parable to this effect about a rich man who did very well during his lifetime and a beggar ‘desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.’ Long story short, the rich man ends up in hell and the beggar ends up being comforted by Abraham. When the rich man asks if the beggar can please come and help to relieve his torment a little, the rich man is told by Abraham,
The advice given by Jesus in this parable is, to listen to Moses and the prophets to prevent this kind of scenario from happening in your own life.
Another parable tells about a rich person building bigger barns to store all his riches and this man dies before he gets to enjoy any of his wealth. With this parable Jesus warns his followers not to be covetousness,
It is near impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus made it clear that it is near impossible for rich people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I know what he is talking about because I’ve been that rich girl living in a mansion on the beach, driving my Jaguar flanked by a couple of massive pedigree dogs and super cute offspring, wearing designer gear and dining out most days. I’ve been there and done all that till I tumbled mightily when I became ill and hubby suffered from memory loss where he was found holidaying on De Nile with no recollection of a marriage contract. I know what it is like to live rich. I still do. Only this time it is by the grace of GOD and I take nothing for granted. My life and wealth are entirely in GOD’s hand and always have been. The difference between now and then is that, now, I have submitted to GOD’s will. Whilst, then, I was under the mistaken belief that my husband was the one.
After 27 years I received a long overdue wake-up call which cost me a mighty amount of money to the point where I am now what one would call flat broke. But never happier, never more blessed, never more content, never more loved or comfortable. All the money in the world does not make anyone happy. My joy and happiness are found in GOD’s Word, everything else comes second. I have experienced wealth and riches and I know that all is in GOD’s hand and everything in life is controlled by GOD always. With GOD all things are possible and I have no greater pleasure in life than to share that message.
This day is salvation come to this house.
We know that some people in Jesus day got the message too, because there is the story of Zacchaeus, a rich guy who became remorseful after he met Jesus and promised to do better.
Take no thought for tomorrow.
Psalm 49 finishes as follows,
Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
All riches, health, wealth, joy and happiness come from GOD. Once more I was re minded of this when I was researching on how to become financially independent. I was learning how for instance to gain ‘followers.’ One of the recommended ways is to ‘follow’ other bloggers who in turn then will ‘follow’ me. But I just cannot get my finger to press that button that says ‘follow.’ My heart and mind keep telling me that I follow one and one only and that is The Father and His Son. And so these marketeers keep telling me that if I want to make any kind of profit I will have to get myself some followers. Stands to reason, doesn’t it?
I  just cannot press that ‘follow’ button. I can click where it says ‘like’ and I can click where it says ‘sign up to receive updates or ‘get rss’, but I haven’t as yet been able to click the button where it says ‘follow.’ And as far as profits are concerned, yes I like pretty and fancy things as much as anyone else but I truly am after a different kind of prophet. His name is Jesus. And that’s the truth.
condensed Australian translation of Psalm 49
all rights reserved copyright myemmanuel 2014
God hath made me to laugh
The birth of our banner
God hath made me to laugh and that is the truth which I like to share with my readers. I am head over heels with His Son and His Word and my greatest pleasure comes from sharing this joy. My daughter made me a banner for my blog and it looks like this.
Banner competition.
Pretty sweet isn’t it? Well, I like it. But she said, “Mum, I think this banner can be improved on, let’s get a second opinion. And she did, get more than one second opinion. The feedback we received is so awesome that I like to share this with my readers, just in case you were ever to need a designer for a banner, check the following designers out first. We’ve only listed the ones which are rated with five stars. Not because we didn’t like the other banner proposals but because the ones rated with five stars were closest to what we’re looking for. All submissions can be viewed at Freelancer but I’m not sure if they may only be viewed for the duration of the competition which will end in a few days.
Look no more
Here’s a link to all banner designers who impressed us with their designs. If you’re looking for a designer for your banner look no more. Below are links to upcoming and also already established designers who responded to our call to ‘improve on this banner’ and I’m sure that they will be happy to follow your brief also. Clicking on the image will take you to the designer’s site.
LFE by Tawfeekamr
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
These are the first words of Psalm 22; “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” We can be sure that King David, who is credited as the Psalmist, felt rather desolate when he wrote those words. At varying times my life has taken me to dark and desolate places and I find great comfort in the promises made in Psalm 22. King David’s words reassure me that, even when all seems lost, God hears us. And as long as we rely on and trust in our Maker there will be a good end.
The fifth time the phrase live for ever is mentioned.
What we’re looking for in Psalm 22 is, where the phrase ‘live for ever’ is mentioned, and the context. It is mentioned by King David in Psalm 22 verse 26 as follows,
or in a different translation as follows,
‘May you live for ever’ is a sincere wish, if not prophesy from King David to the oppressed. He states that they shall eat and be satisfied, with those who seek the LORD praising him and living for ever. This is the fifth time that the phrase live for ever has been mentioned in the bible.
To find out what context these words were used in, we’ll have a look at the whole of Psalm 22.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
The first sentence in Psalm 22 is as follows: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” These are the exact same words uttered by Jesus when he was crucified,
Jesus did not expect His Father to ‘save’ him from that moment of suffering because Jesus knew what was expected of him. It appears that at the time of this outcry he felt disconnected from GOD. Jesus knew however what was about to happen because he had said shortly before his crucifiction, that all things that are written by the prophets concerning Him, should be accomplished,
Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
Much of what is described in Psalm 22 took place at Jesus crucifixion.
Psalm 22
A cry of anguish and a song of praise.
To understand the context of why the phrase ‘live for ever’ was mentioned I will quote the whole of Psalm 22 below,
For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David, Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
The above is Psalm 22 as written by King David.
Many similarities between Psalm 22 and the events at Jesus crucifixion.
Many of the sentiments expressed in Psalm 22 are echoed with Jesus crucifixion. For instance; Jesus couldn’t feel GOD’s presence in his darkest hour. Jesus asked for the cup to pass from him, yet either way had utmost confidence in His Father’s decisions, He cried in the night. He was despised and mocked, in trouble with none to help. Jesus was surrounded by strong people who were after his life, dry … into the dust of death … he was pierced. He was looked and stared upon, his garments parted among them, with lots cast upon his vesture. Jesus was merciful on another afflicted soul who was crucified with him. Jesus shall live for ever and all the ends of the world are remembering and turning unto the Lord. A seed shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
There are a lot of similarities between Psalm 22 and Jesus crucifixion. There seem to be some translation errors in Psalm 22 as mentioned by various sources. Just the same, even when we take these proposed errors into consideration, there remain many similarities between the events described in Psalm 22, which was written around one thousand years before Jesus crucifixion, and the events which took place at the crucifixion.
In what context is the phrase ‘live for ever’ mentioned?
Confidence in GOD
Psalm 22 was written by King David who was known in times of trouble to pour his heart out to GOD. When he wrote Psalm 22 King David must have been in a dark place indeed, yet he continues to trust in GOD and knows with a surety that The LORD will deliver him. Yes, it is true that King David says, “My God why have you forsaken me?” But it is equally true that shortly after this exclamation King David praises God and expresses his confidence in the saving power of The LORD.
And yes, Jesus also exclaimed, “My God why have you forsaken me?” But prior to that heartfelt anguish, Jesus invited a repentant criminal into heaven with him. This shows that Jesus has confidence in his Father’s saving power and promises and teaches us followers and believers the significance of genuine repentance and fear of GOD.
Jesus was recognised as the Son of God straight after his exclamation,
King David states that the LORD always listens to the oppressed and always delivers them, and even though King David is suffering whilst he writes this Psalm he is praising the LORD in advance for his deliverance and for his kindness towards the oppressed. Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm where King David prophesies about the times where all nations shall worship The LORD.
For good measure King David mentions that,
There’s a lot of comfort in that for me. I’ve been close to death a number of times and every time I’ve prayed to and relied on The LORD to keep me alive. As did the people around me. And every time The LORD answered our prayers and kept me alive. Praise The LORD! If I thought that it were up to me or the people around me to keep myself alive, I would fret endlessly about it and worry about doing the wrong thing. Knowing that  GOD is in charge makes me sleep well at night and gives my mind peace during the day.
The context of the phrase ‘live for ever.’
Even though the Psalmist is suffering to the point of death, and the outlook appears hopeless, just the same the Psalmist has faith and is confident that the LORD will save those who trust in Him and ensure that those who rely on Him in earnest will live for ever.
The relevance of the prophesy.
Jesus crucifixion, which took place around a thousand years after Psalm 22 was written, plays out at least part of the scenario as described in Psalm 22.
The finale is where GOD raises His Son Jesus from the grave to indeed live for ever as had been prophesied with already many of the world now remembering and turning unto the Lord: and many of the nations now worshiping before the LORD.
What do Psalm 22 and Jesus resurrection story have in common?
Both Psalm 22 and Jesus crucifixion and resurrection tell us that all those who trust in The LORD will be saved and may live for ever.
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The greeting ‘live for ever’ throughout history.
The words ‘live for ever’ have been used throughout history as royal greetings.
King David
The third time the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in scripture is just before King David’s death. King David lived from c. 1040–970 BC. His reign over Judah was c. 1010–1002 BC, and his reign over the United Kingdom c. 1002–970 BC. When King David makes good on his promise to hand over the reign of his kingdom to his son Solomon; Bathsheba, his wife and the mother of Solomon, responds as follows,
King Artaxerxes
The fourth time that the phrase ‘live for ever’ is mentioned in the bible is in the second half of the fifth century BC, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, the King of Persia.  Nehemiah is the cup-bearer to the King in Susa, the Persian capital and learns that the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed. Nehemia asks the king for leave to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. The king doesn’t only grant permission but gives aid to Nehemia so that he can go and rebuild the walls. Â
The book of Daniel
It appears that the book of Daniel was written about events which took place in the sixth century B.C. with the final composition of the book made during the second century BC. In the book of Daniel we find in chapter 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 the words ‘live for ever’ mentioned as follows,
King Nebuchadnezzar
The seventh time that the words ‘live for ever are used in the bible, is in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah. This is when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. Â In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams which troubled him and
The eighth time the words ‘live for ever’ are used is when Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold and commanded all people to fall down and worship the golden image.
After God spectacularly saved three of his devout followers, who refused to bow down to the golden image, from a fiery furnace, king Nebuchadnezzar made a decree.
And he said, Â Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
During this whole process certain Chaldeans had accused the Jews and said to king Nebuchadnezzar,
King Nebuchadnezzar did not acknowledge that all his riches were blessings from God. As a result of his arrogance he lost his kingdom and found himself for seven years living with the beast of the field as had been prophesied to him by Daniel who was also called Belteshazzar.
At the end of his seven year exile Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returned unto him and he acknowledged our Creator as the most High, the King of heaven who lives for ever and said,  ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.’
The ninth time the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in the bible is when Nebuchadnezzar praised God,
King Belshazzar
The tenth time the words ‘live for ever’ are used is when Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords. The king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank out of golden and silver containers that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the house of God, which was the temple in Jerusalem.
As they drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone; fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. And the king became extremely troubled.
King Darius
The eleventh time the words ‘live for ever’ are used is during the reign of king Darius when those in power set up a trap which had Daniel thrown into the lion den.
The twelfth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are used is when king Darius came to check in the morning to see if Daniel survived the lion’s den and found a cheery Daniel who greeted him,
Daniel added that God hath sent him an angel to shut the lions mouth because Daniel was innocent before God as well as before the king. The king was so impressed that Daniel survived the lion’s den that he said, ‘I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.’
The greeting ‘live for ever’ is commonly used to address royals.
From the above greetings we see that the greeting, ‘live for ever’ was commonly used to address royals. As mentioned above are the third, fourth, seventh, eight, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth time that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in scripture.
Batsheba addressed her husband King David with the greeting ‘live for ever.’ After this the prophet Nehemia addresses king Artaxerxes, the King of Persia in the same way. After this the Chaldeans to king Nebuchadnezzar in Syriack followed by King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledging our Creator as the most High, the King of heaven who lives for ever. Followed by the queen greeting Belshazzar the king with ‘live for ever’ and presidents and princes assembled together to king Darius, wishing him to live for ever. As well as Daniel himself greeting king Darius in this way.
Are our royals still greeted like this today?
Queen Elizabeth
At the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster, on the second day of June, 1953 after homage and alliance was pledged to the queen,
the drums beat, and the trumpets sounded, and all the people shouted, crying out:
God save Queen ELIZABETH.
Long live Queen ELIZABETH.
May the Queen live for ever.
From the above we can tell that the greeting ‘live for ever’ has been used throughout history to honour kings and queens as is in line with the promise made in scripture that those who obey God may live for ever.
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The second time
There are only a few occasions in the bible where heaven and earth are called as witnesses. This is one of these occurrences. You can find another couple here.
Moses calls upon the heavens and the earth to be witnesses
The prophet Moses calls upon the heavens and the earth to be witnesses to his speech before God’s people will enter the promised land. The second time that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned in the bible is when both the heavens and the earth are called as witnesses by the prophet Moses. He says,
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth …
Moses, just before his death, continues to address all of God’s chosen and reminds them that our God is a just God and one of truth. Moses reminds the people that God made and saved his people and led them through the wilderness despite the people being perverse and corrupt. God did so alone without any other gods beside him.
Yet the people rewarded God’s kindness by sacrificing their children unto devils and strange gods.
Moses then prophesises that God will punish the lawbreakers and those without faith and He will reward those that hate Him.
It is suggested that in the day of judgment those people call upon their gods for help and ask for their statues and images to rise up and help and protect them.
It is your life
Moses tells the people that their Maker is pretty peeved with the mediocre loyalty and faithfulness He receives in return for the fierce loyalty and protection He gives to his people always.
Moses finishes his speech and prophesy by saying that our life depends upon following God’s law and we are to tell our children to do the same.
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me:
I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal:
neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say,
Command your children to observe to do,
all the words of this law.
For it is not a vain thing for you;
because it is your life …
This is the second time in scripture that the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned.
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How many times is ‘live for ever’ mentioned in the bible?
In earlier posts I explained where the concept of living for ever came from.
How many times is ‘live for ever’ mentioned in the bible? That really depends upon what bible translation we’re reading. In a search throughout the King James translation of the bible the words ’live for ever’ come up 28 times but only around 19 of these apply to living forever and around 7 of these occasions were royal greetings. That leaves 12 other occasions where the words ‘live for ever’ are mentioned.
The first time
The first time the words, ‘live for ever’ are mentioned is in the third chapter of the bible.
And the Lord God commanded the man.
In the previous chapter God had commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God was clear enough about it, he said, ‘If you don’t do as I tell you, you will die.’
Some bible commentators say that Adam was given a choice but what I read is that God ‘commanded’ Adam not to eat of the tree. A command is like an order and not a choice as far as I’m concerned.
It follows  from the above scripture that if we do as God tells us to, we may live for ever and if we don’t, we’ll die.
Young’s literal bible
Young’s Literal bible translates the same verses as follows,
According to scripture some will die twice. However those who overcome won’t die twice. Twice? Yes twice.
1599 Geneva Bible
Once more the same scripture verses, this time from the 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV),
Stay in God’s good books
What does it mean ‘to die the death?’ In the book of Revelation we’re told about the second death.
In the first book of the bible, in the second chapter of the book of Genesis, we’re told  that those who disobey God will ‘die the death.’ And in the last book of the bible, in the second chapter of the book of Revelation, we are told that he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
We have to make sure that we are in God’s good books if we want to avoid the second death and live for ever.
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